Winter Wool Scarf
by acting-fangirl
Summary: Bert strolls through the empty streets of London on Christmas. But then he sees a familiar silhouette.
1. Chapter 1

London, Christmas 1910

Bert strolled through the empty streets of London. The snow crunched under his feet, which he stared at.  
The otherwise happy man walked in a slightly crooked posture, his face hidden in his scarf and his hands in his pockets. Single snowflakes fell from the sky and danced through the air as a light breeze came up. Normally he would have enjoyed it, but his mood was depressed.  
He sauntered from his small apartment towards the park, passing by various houses. Big, small, expensive houses in which one family lived and which with many small apartments in which the poorer lived. But in all he found a constant: the lights were burning, it smelled of food and he saw joyful silhouettes. But he, Bert Alfred, was alone. His chimney sweep friends were all with their families and Mary had to help a family on the other side of the country. He did not blame anyone but wished he had a family to celebrate Christmas with. Every year he thought so and nobody would have thought that he was so sad. Bert had never been a fan of facades before. That's why he was glad that nobody ever saw him like that.

When the wind, which was just a light breeze, got stronger, he buried his face deeper in the dark red winter wool scarf.  
The wool scarf - how grateful he was to have this. It was a gift from Mary, which he had received from her in January two years ago. The story made him smile.

—

_2 years earlier…_

_It was a very cold January day and Bert, who was plagued by a bad cold, was on his way to work. On this day he was a chimney sweep, because he could not paint pictures on the snowy ground. After he sneezed and then cleaned his nose with an old handkerchief, a melodious voice came from behind him: "You don't want to go work, do you?"_

_With a scratchy voice and a grin, but without turning around, he replied, "Mary Poppins," he made a turn and stood about a meter away from her, "o' course I'm goin' t' work, 'ow am I supposed t' pay my meal?"_

_Her face was worried. She knew he was not the richest man, but going to work in such a state was really too much now. But she also knew that she could not persuade him to stay at home while he could still walk upright. He would make a compromise and still sweep for several hours chimneys and run around on the rooftops of London. Besides, she did not want to start a discussion. As she plucked her dark red scarf she came up with an idea. Without hesitating, she stripped it and handed it to Bert: "Then take the scarf at least. It's very cold and you need it more than I do. Especially since I have enough."  
__Perplex took Bert the wool scarf and searched for words. "Don't say anything, just do me the favour and take it-", the Nanny broke off when her best friend hugged her tightly._

_"__Thank you Mary"_

_After the hug, he put on the scarf and felt warmer immediately-as if it were magic wool._

—

Even after years, the scarf still smelled of Mary and gave him a cozy warmth. He closed his eyes for a moment and enjoyed it, but a new gust of wind made him look up. The sky was dark and the lanterns and trees shook dangerously. "I'd better go home," he murmured and turned around.

With quick steps he went back to his little apartment. He almost slipped on some icy parts but was always able to balance himself. The wind was so heavy now that he would blow his hat off if he did not press it against his head. One thing he realised: it's an east wind!  
Could it really be that- No! Immediately he rejected the thought. She said in a letter that she will be away longer because this would be a very difficult family. But he still had a bit of hope - at least until the wind turned and slid slightly. _'Maybe just a normal little storm,'_ he thought, trudging slower through the streets.

With the same pose as at the beginning of his walk he turned into his street and heard quarrelling voices from one of the houses. _'At least I don't have to deal with somethin' this' _But then something else caught his attention: a silhouette at the end of the street. She stood under a lantern in front of the house where he lived.

He would recognise this silhouette and shadow among thousands: "Mary Poppins?"

His footsteps grew faster as he walked towards her. When he arrived, he greeted her with a warm hug.

"Merry Christmas, too, Bert," the nanny said as they parted.

"Come," he cleared his throat, "Do ya want t' come in? We'll get sick if we stand 'ere any longer".  
She nodded.

When they arrived in the small apartment, they took off their slightly wet clothes. While Bert put on the fire in the stove, Mary inspected his latest paintings: one showed London from above, another left a family in the park while flying their kites. His talent was admirable and he was getting better and better. "You can sit on the sofa if ya want" Bert offered her and she sat down.

He handed her a tea about two minutes later: "I would've prepared somethin' t' eat if I 'ad known that ya were coming. But unfortunately it's just tea " His voice was almost sad.

"No problem, Bert," she sipped the hot liquid and closed her eyes with relish: it was her favourite tea and no one, apart from her of course, could make it as good as her best friend.

"So," he sat down next to her, "'ow is it that you're in London? Please don't get me wrong, I'm 'appy that you're 'ere.. Very 'appy! But you said it would be a longer stay... Don't they need ya anymore? "

Mary put down her tea and took a deep breath. "The wind brought me to London this evening because there seems to be someone who needs me more urgently than this family."

The dark-haired raised an eyebrow: "I don't quite understand... You 'ave to go to work today?"

"No, Bert. You need me more urgently."

—

**I wrote this story in October 2018. Yes 2018 xD  
****But I decided to upload it because it's Christmas time.**

**There are two more chapters xD**


	2. Chapter 2

_20th December 1910_

_Mary spent her free Tuesday alone. She walked down the street and looked around for a while in the corners of the city she hadn't seen yet.  
__She was with the Miller family for a week now and it was anything but easy: the twins were a handful, the mother was depressed and the father very aggressive. Nothing harmonised with this family and she would have liked to take the children along on their day off, so they would not hear the fighting of their parents again.  
__But she thought of the words of her best friend when he once said that she has to think of herself before she breaks down._

_Bert ... She realised he was probably alone at Christmas. When she asked him about her new job, he bypassed that question and did not want to talk about what was a clear indication.  
__Oh she would love to be with him on Christmas Eve. She did not care how big or small Christmas would be-as long as she was with him.  
__Nobody knew her as well as he did. Not that, he also respected her work and waited every time, every time, for her return - without bothering her._

Christmas 1910

"I?" He stuttered confused, tilting his head like a puppy who did not understand a command.

Mary smiled slightly at the sight. "Yeah, you. It seems like you need me more," she put her hand on his, "at least today."

Bert still did not quite understand. Normally, the wind only brought them to families who needed her help- that's how Mary at least told him.

"And since when do ya know that?", the question was stupid, but still she made Mary smile.

"Since today... But I had to think of you at the beginning of the week", the Nanny did not tell him, of course, that the thought of him spending Christmas alone hurt her. Bert was so incredibly important to her that she just could not put into words.

As she waited for his reaction, she looked him in the eyes and literally sank into the sea of blue.  
What she did not know: he felt the same way at that moment. The flickering of the fire was reflected in her eyes. Of course none of the two wanted to admit this - their friendship was too important for them.

But after a few seconds that seemed like half an eternity, Bert smiled warmly and hugged her, "I still can't believe you're 'ere."

Mary returned the hug and closed her eyes. She was finally home.

After drinking the tea and eating the chocolate Bert had found, they talked about last Christmas and briefly about their plans for the coming year.  
But the whistling of the wind and the ever louder clatter of shutters interrupted her.

"Does the wind 'ave anything t' do with ya?"

Mary barely shook her head and looked outside. "No," her voice was very quiet, "it's just a snowstorm."

It seemed to Bert that she was saying these words to herself instead of to him. His best friend was... different. Almost scared. And his guess was confirmed when she jumped when he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry, Mary! I... I didn't mean t' scare ya," he said softly.

"Alright, Bert. I... I think I just need some sleep... I should go to Uncle Albert now" she smiled tiredly without looking at him- She seemed absent.

He raised an eyebrow questioningly - something was wrong. He did not know such reactions from Mary Poppins.  
The wind whistled louder around the corner and made her wince again.

"Ya can stay 'ere," the chimney sweep blurted out, it was more a request than an offer.

"Excuse me?", Mary was full in here and now.

Bert scratched the back of his head and looked slightly embarrassed: "Well it's pretty windy and uncomfortable out there. It's also dangerous. I don't want ya getting sick or that anything 'appens t' ya... That's why you can spend the night 'ere. Ya can sleep on the bed and I sleep on the sofa or floor."

Mary could have cried! Bert was always so cute to her and just wanted the best. No matter if it was trifles like the tea from before; the fact that he worried about her, or that he was always waiting for her return. He just realised that she was not feeling well and did everything possible to make it somehow easier for her. She was sure that if he could he would take away all of her worries.

With little tears in her eyes she hugged him: "Thank you, Bert… What have I done to deserve you?"

Bert was surprised, but then returned the hug. He did not answer, afraid he might say something wrong, something too emotional. He broke away from her and smiled, "I think it would be best if we go t' bed. It is already late and a few 'ours rest are good for us."

She nodded.

After Mary got ready in the bathroom (fortunately she had everything in her bag) she went with a strange feeling in the room, where both bed and sofa were.  
Bert, the gentleman he was, turned his head toward the front door so she would not feel quite so watched and uncomfortable.

"Good night, Mary," he added curtly but also warmly.

"Good night, Bert"

With these words, she lay down in the relatively large bed, covered herself, and blew out the candle on the small table next to her.  
The room was dark now. Only the slight glimmer of glow lit a corner. The pale light fell right on Bert's face, which seemed thoughtful.  
The nanny studied him closely and a strange feeling came to her. The feeling that always came when they hugged or smiled at them. It was such a strange tingling sensation. She ran her hand over the big, empty half of the bed. Without him everything seemed so imperfect and cold.

Then a thought came to her: "Bert…?"

"Yes?", He looked questioningly but somehow lovingly. She was not herself when she spoke the following words, but yet deep inside she knew it was somehow right.

"You do not have to sleep on the sofa, you know?"

* * *

**Here's the next chapter :D**

**As always, I'm looking forward for your reviews :)**


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as she said the words she regret these.  
_'What's wrong with me!?'_, she shouted inside and could slaps herself! There were two options: either she lied or she would admit that she did not want to be alone in his bed.

"Huh", came confused from Bert, who had not yet processed this sentence properly. He straightened up and looked at her. Even though it was dark, she could feel his questioning look.

She decided to lie: "I can sleep on the sofa… after all, I am just your guest." The words had not come from her lips, when she could have slapped herself again- One shouldn't lie! And the fact that she lied to the most honest, loving and important person in her life hurt her.

And with his answer, she felt even shabbier: "Nonsense! Because you're my guest, you deserve it more comfortable than me!" With these words he fell onto the sofa and covered himself. "Good night. And sleep well!"

"Good night," she murmured almost inaudibly, pulling the blanket up to her chin.

* * *

In the middle of the night the storm started to get heavier and Mary woke up with a shake on her shoulders and the gentle yet energetic sound of her name: "Mary!"

"What?" She asked confused. But something was wrong. Her pulse was very high and she was bathed in sweat. Then she realised the storm outside.

"Ya screamed in yer sleep ..."

She did not answer.

"Mary?"

She looked out the window.

"I know ya don't like to explain, and you don't really owe me any explanation... But I'm worried...", he sat down on the edge of the bed.

Mary studied his silhouette, dimly lit by the moon, "You are worried?"

"Yes," Bert looked at his feet and kneaded his hands in shame, "you've been so strange since the evening. You'd rather be somewhere else, right? "

"What!?", her eyes widened in shock, "how do you come up with that?"

Bert considered how he chose his next words. Depending on how he would formulate his guess, this could have a negative effect on their friendship because Mary was unpredictable for him.

After several seconds of silence, he began: "Please don't get me wrong, Mary... But you're so distant all evening. Almost as if yer thoughts were somewhere else. You aren't laughing, you're stiff and you're just looking out the window. You'd rather be somewhere else, right?" He paused for a moment," I can understand it, if you prefer to be at Christmas with your uncle or anywhere else." It shook more violently at the window. "I really don't want to force ya t' stay: but I'd still be scared of you if you went out there in the middle of the night… Especially because it's stormy."  
His voice softened towards the end and it contained an emotion that Mary could not interpret.

But as soon as she had processed what he had said, she sat up and hugged him. What in the world did she deserve a friend like him? When he put his arms around her petite figure, all her negative thoughts seemed forgotten. This hug gave her so much warmth and she closed her eyes. It seemed to her that his closeness was everything she ever wanted. "There isn't a place I'd rather be… than with you" she mumbled into his crook and squeezed him a bit more. This was the first time she did not repress the thoughts about her feelings but speak them openly.

Bert smiled quietly at the words. But another rattle made her stiffen. "Could it be that you're afraid of the storm?" He noticed her nod.

"All right, Mary," he stroked her back reassuringly, "you're not alone... I'm with you. And I'll always be there for ya."

Mary broke away from Bert and just looked at him. His eyes looked at her lovingly and she just could not find words. Sure, her logical mind told her that it did not matter if she was alone in the storm or not. But her heart was glad to know that he would not let her down. Yes, she was terribly afraid of storms, but she could always hide that fear. Maybe she did not do that that night, since she was with Bert and did not want to hide from him? "Thanks, Bert... It's good to know that I'm not alone."

The next thing she felt was his soft lips on her forehead: "I'll always be there for ya."

She looked at him again. Now that her eyes had become accustomed to the darkness, she could see his face better now. The feelings she had for this man were enormous and she would like to tell him what she felt about him. But she also knew that words alone would never be enough!  
Her heart was screaming to show him!  
So she took all her courage and slowly approached his face with hers. And even before she was able to properly handle this movement, her lips were already on his. So they paused for a moment, until he wrapped his arms around her and her hands found themselves on the back of his neck and back. The kiss became more intense and it was clear that both felt the same at the moment! Slowly they lowered themselves to the bed, but did not interrupt the kiss.

Only when they needed air again, they parted. For a moment, they just looked at each other and could not find words. Bert lovingly stroked a stray strand behind her ear and smiled as it could not have been wider.

But when Mary said three more words, his smile widened:

"I love you"

Bert kissed her again before he broke away and said between two kisses, "I love you too, Mary."

And at that moment, there were only the two people left in the world.  
Nobody was sleeping on the sofa that night.

And nobody noticed that the storm ebbed off and after only a few minutes there is not even a breeze.

It was the best Christmas ever.

* * *

**Here's the final chapter :)**

**I hope you liked this short story :D**


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